U2 singer Bono played a huge role in Pearl Jam‘s career, according to Eddie Vedder in a new interview.
Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready has explained why he finally decided to step out with a true solo project, saying the move was driven by a need to keep pushing himself creatively while still viewing Pearl Jam as his main musical home.
In a recent interview with Billboard, McCready said the process felt “scary in a great way,” adding that he constantly looks for new challenges and ways to stay creatively busy.
McCready also said he has spent the past three years taking singing lessons with Seattle-based vocal coach Susan Carr, and that he wanted to build a project that required him to sing at a high level. He described creating a “mini-rock opera” within the story he is developing and said he wanted to make sure he was fully prepared vocally before releasing it.
“It feels scary in a great way. I’m a guy that always wants to push himself. I need to do that. I need to keep busy with stuff,” McCready said. “Pearl Jam is my entity and I live in it, but I’ve got time to do things so I want to fill that in with creativity. As an artist I want to push myself through different boundaries.”
“I’ve been taking singing lessons from this woman named Susan Carr here in Seattle for the past three years. I wanted to do something that forced me to sing, so I did a mini-rock opera within the context of this story,” he continued. “But I wanted to make sure I was f–king good!”
“I feel proud about it. This is my solo experiment, who knows what it will turn into? I just hope that people dig it and it makes them want to listen to all the music from that time,” he said.
The project is titled Farewell to Seasons and is described as a graphic novel that has been developed into a rock opera, marking his first solo release after years of side work in collaborative settings. As the band’s future continues to be closely watched, Pearl Jam recently drew attention when the group addressed hiatus rumors following a departure from its touring lineup.
McCready said he feels proud of the experiment and hopes it connects with listeners while encouraging them to revisit music from the era that inspired it, framing the release as a personal artistic leap rather than a shift away from Pearl Jam.
